Table of Contents - May 2008

• Message from Kristie & Chrissi
• The Nuts and Bolts of Continuing Education
• Sign Up Now for CE Classes
• Chrissi Mentors Tomorrow's Female Leaders
• Important Dates
• Challenge From Mr. Shower Door
• Classifieds

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Message from the Gals

We hope you are having a Marvelous May! We have certainly been incredibly busy. Welcome to all of our new clients! And a big 'THANK YOU' to everyone who has referred their friends, family, colleagues, students and classmates to us. Sharing your confidence in us with people important to you is the biggest and best compliment you could ever give us.

There is so much going on in our world right now. Most of your contractors' licenses expire in a couple of months. For a majority of our clients who have attained their first license in the last year or two, all you have to do is pay the renewal fee. However, there are some of you who will need to get your Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Patti Krell of Cam Tech School of Construction has so graciously explained exactly what you need to know regarding CEUs in our main article below.

Licenses, Etc. client Mr. Shower Door and the Daubmann's have a special challenge for all of our readers. And Chrissi was busy this month with some volunteer work. Read more about both of these below.

Kristie, on the other hand, has been a little crazy moving her family to Southwest Florida for good! She is buying a house in Punta Gorda and moving everyone from Kansas City at the end of this month. Therefore...

*Important Note*: Kristie will be unavailable for phone calls and will have very limited internet/email access May 22-30. She should be back up and running by June 2. Therefore, Chrissi will be managing all of our clients AND the business. Please direct all contact to her during that time. And PLEASE be patient with her. We promise she will be doing everything she can to take care of you.

Once Kristie gets everyone settled in and her office put back together, we will be focusing on exciting additions to Licenses, Etc. So, stay tuned...

Thank you for reading! And have a Jolly June!

Best regards,

Kristie & Chrissi

The Nuts and Bolts of Continuing Education

by Patti Krell,
Cam Tech School of Construction

Continuing Education (CE), unfortunately, is one of those necessary things in life that you just have to do, whether you are a contractor, doctor, lawyer, or whatever. The purpose of CE is to keep you up to date on all the latest information so you’ll be in tune with the State's requirements. With that being said, this article will give you the lowdown on what is required of you, when it is required and how it affects your license.

If you are a Florida State Certified contractor, you are required to obtain 14 hours of CE every two years on the even years (2008, 2010, 2012 and so on). Hours are calculated from September 1 of the previous year to August 31 of the current year.

For 2008, if you activated your license after August 31 of 2007, you are not required to take any CE hours until 2010. If you activated your license before August 31, 2006, you must take 14 hours. If you activated your license after August 31, 2006, you need only take 7 hours.

For those required to take 14 hours, you are required to take the following courses: 1 hour each of Business Practices, Workers Compensation, Workplace Safety, Laws & Rules, and Advanced Building Code. If you are either a General, Builder, Residential, Roofer, Specialty Structure or Glass & Glazing, included in those required hours is also at least 1 hour of Wind Mitigation. The remainder of your hours must be construction related but are considered ‘general” hours. If this is your first time taking continuing education, you must take the Building Code Administrative Core Course. This is a 4-hour course that you only have to take one time.

For those required to take only 7 hours, there are no specific required hours stated in the Florida Statutes but it is suggested that you also take one hour each of Business Practices, Workers Compensation, Workplace Safety and Laws & Rules. You should also take the Building Code Administrative Core Course, if for no other reason than to get it over with. Those of you who are Generals, Builders, Residentials, Roofers, Specialty Structures or Glass & Glazing contractors, you should also take the Wind Mitigation course. Of course, you can use some of that simple math and see that this is actually more hours than you actually need. Any overage of hours will remain on your record but WILL NOT carry over to the next CE period.

Always take your CE hours with companies that are Certified Providers and make certain the courses you take carry a Course number. If you take a course that does not have a number and you take it from a non-certified provider, the courses will not count as CE hours. Always make certain the provider is legitimate and that they have been approved by the CILB (Construction Industry Licensing Board).

Upon taking your CE classes, you will receive a certificate. In some cases you will receive more than one certificate. You will not have to present these certificates to the State but you should always keep them in a safe place in case you need them as proof in the future. Some providers send certificates after you have taken the course and some will present you with one upon completion of the course on the same day. Your CE hours will be submitted electronically by the Provider. This process could take several days. Providers have at least 30 days to submit the hours electronically upon completion of the courses.

You can, at any time, submit your paperwork and pay the appropriate fees to the State to renew your license but you WILL NOT actually receive your renewed license until after the hours are submitted, received and processed. It is only then that the State will issue the renewed license. Once you receive your new license, it will be good for 2 years.

Please remember that the State DOES NOT forward mail. If you change your address, you are responsible to notify the State, in writing. If you do not do this, you will not receive any information from the State and you could jeopardize your license.

Editor's Note: Patti Krell is our good friend at Cam Tech School of Construction, an approved Provider of CEs. You can call Patti at 800-875-PASS or send her an email with your questions.

Sign Up NOW for Your CE Classes

Chrissi Offers Business Acumen to Teen Girls

Chrissi volunteered her time and business management expertise to mentor teen girls earlier this month. She participated as a mentor in Guardian Girls Going Places, a full-day program that teaches girls ages 12-18 about starting businesses, managing businesses and growing their careers. Through the use of games and Q&A sessions, Chrissi was able to share her personal experiences with these girls.

Chrissi' take: “It was exciting to spend the day with such a dynamic group of young women.  It’s important to provide real-world examples of successful (female) entrepreneurs to girls.  We have a lot of young talent in SW Florida!”

* Highly Recommended *

Opportunity for Exposure

If you are located in Southwest Florida, the Collier Building Industry Association (CBIA) offers a great way to network with thousands of others in the local industry. Right now, CBIA is preparing for the Sand Dollar Awards, the most prestigious awards you can get in our industry. As members of the Sand Dollar Committee, Chrissi and Kristie are charged with finding sponsors for the event. Sponsorship gives you a prime opportunity for lots of exposure to businesses in the industry and the public.

Contact Chrissi or Kristie for more information.

Are you a Collier County contractor but not a member of CBIA? You are missing out on great benefits of being a member. Contact Lisa today at 239.436.6100. Be sure to tell her that Licenses, Etc. sent you.

Important Dates

• Next CILB meeting is June 11-13 in Palm Beach.
• June exam dates are June 17-18.
• July CILB meeting is July 9-11 in St. Petersburg Beach.
• Deadline for August exams is July 12. Register here: http://www.myflorida.com/dbpr/servop/testing/documents/exam_applic_pack.pdf

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Challenge From the Daubmann's at Mr. Shower Door

Keith Daubmann grimaced when his clients related a story about gift cards they received over the holidays being worthless now that the stores that issued them were closed for business.

“Effective immediately, Mr. Shower Door will validate any client’s gift card from any business, good toward Mr. Shower Door goods and services,” declared Daubmann, company President. “In fact, in the spirit of rebuilding local consumer confidence, Mr. Shower Door challenges similarly successful businesses to follow our lead."

According to company vice president Doug Daubmann, Mr. Shower Door will honor all values up to $100. As for other companies, he understands some businesses might want to accept Mr. Shower Door’s challenge but will not have the price point to support a $100 commitment.

“Any efforts to reduce the sense of loss in our business community will go a long way toward keeping Southwest Florida’s commerce as vibrant as ever,” notes Doug.

Mr. Shower Door is the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of Luxus frameless shower enclosures, the most respected name in the industry. Manufactured to the highest quality, Luxus produces a full line of product options to fulfill any shower need. Those interested in redeeming their gift cards can stop by one of Mr. Shower Door’s three Florida locations or visit the website www.mrshowerdoor.com.

Naples: 13500 Tamiami Trail N., No. 8 (across from Germain Lexus)
Fort Myers: 14261 S. Tamiami Trail, No. 2  (next to Bonefish restaurant)
Sarasota: 7484 S. Tamiami Trail (across from Robb and Stucky).

What Our Clients Have to Say

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Classifieds

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Fine Print

Licenses, Etc., Inc.
Copyright Licenses, Etc, Inc., 2008
Have a question for the experts at Licenses, Etc.? Call Kristie at 239.777.8321 or Chrissi at 239.777.1028 or visit www.LicensesEtc.com

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